Visions
by DarkxPrince
Summary: Visions have the power to change one's future. But Revan's vision, will change the future of the galaxy... forever.
1. Malachor V

Visions

He wanted to know why they wouldn't come to this planet. He needed to know what it was that caused the Mandalorians to fear this dead planet. It was a puzzle that Revan had yet to solve, but he was about to change that. He had told his troops that he was scouting planets to use as bases against the Mandalorians, but that wasn't why he was out here. He needed know, he couldn't remain ignorant of the reason, wondering if whatever it was that he could use it against them.

If there was anything that Revan despised more then anything in this galaxy, it was ignorance. One should not simply accept things because someone told them. It was the reason Revan rebelled against the Jedi Council, when they refused to help the Republic when the Mandalorians first invaded. He could not accept the fact that the Council said that they felt a greater evil beyond the Mandalorians. Revan didn't deny the possibility that there could be something greater beyond the Mandalorian threat, but without any proof he simply could not accept that the Council was doing nothing. They, as Jedi Knights, had sworn to protect the Republic, yet when the time came to take their lightsabers and do their duty, the High Council ignored the Republic's cry for help.

How could the High Council not act after they felt the deaths of thousands when the Mandalorians rained nuclear warheads onto Serroco's surface. The empathic pain so great on his soul that it caused him to double over, clutching his heart. After that he couldn't just continue arguing for Jedi intervention with the council. He decided to gather what forces he could and intervene with, or without the council's approval. Hundreds of Jedi had already been swayed with his words, so it was only a matter of time before he and his followers left to aid the Republic.

Within months of joining the Republic forces, he had been appointed command of all of the Republic's military forces by the Supreme Chancellor himself. That was due to his strategies and his ability to beat back the Mandalorian attacks. If not for his cunning, the Republic would have fallen long before he turned the tide of the war. Once the Mandalorians realized that their tactics were being used against them, they tried to come up with new tactics but those were just as easily countered. Revan's own strategies being far more complexed, traps layered over traps, secondary plans for the secondary plans. Revan left out no possibility when calculating a course of action. Perhaps that's why the Mandalorians respected him, or maybe it had something to do with his victory over Cassus Fett.

Revan understood the Mandalorians, he understood why they respected great warriors on the battlefield. To them there was nothing greater then being killed on the battlefield or defeating a strong opponent. But what he did not understand was why they were attacking Republic worlds. If the thrill of the battle was so important to them, why not duel each other? That was something Revan would have to consider later as he approached the planet called Malachor V.

As he continued to approach the planet, Revan felt something within the force. He couldn't pinpoint it... but it held that distinct Dark Side taint. If he could feel it from that far in space then he couldn't imagine strong it was on the surface. Landing proved somewhat more difficult then usual, but with Revan's skill in piloting it was nothing to worry about. But the second he stepped foot outside he was immediately bombarded with wave after wave of Dark Side energies. He dropped to his knees, drawing on every last drop of will power to beat back the sensation of the Dark Side. Seconds, minutes, hours, he couldn't tell how long he was on his knees, but eventually the energies subsided, leaving him out of breathe.

Returning to his feet, he felt a pull within the force... a call really. It was calling him in a certain direction, so he followed it. Not to be one to be caught off guard, he took his twin lightsabers in hand, possibilities racing through his mind. It was a trait he picked up from his former master, Kreia, always have a plan ready no matter what may happen. Every so often he heard movement off in the distance but it always turned out to be some beast looking for its next meal. Ignoring the beasts he continued to follow that pull he felt, drawing him closer to whatever it may be. Then the pull stopped, and what stood before him was a structure the likes of which he had never seen before. Curious to see what this structure was, he entered.

When he entered he found room upon rooms of what appeared to be some kind of training grounds, or perhaps academy. This structure had similarities to that of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and other Jedi Academies. But he knew that the Dark Side was strongest here, he knew that this was where he was being pulled towards. But there was something deeper, far beyond the academy's room and archives. And he followed it once again, deeper and deeper into the complex he went, the Dark Side becoming stronger with each step he took. And then he came upon a sanctum of sorts, pillars made to look like giant teeth arranged in a circle, arching in and over a set of smaller, similar shaped pillars. But what was must interesting about this... sanctum, was that it was suspended over what appeared to be the core of the planet itself.

Revan stepped into the inner circle of pillars and immediately dropped to his knees. A sensation, not unlike being ripped out of one's own body spread through his soul. And he saw, he saw the destruction of the galaxy. A race unlike anything within the Republic... within known space, ravaging worlds and leaving nothing behind. Screams of innocent beings filling his mind, his soul sharing in the pain of death and destruction. His skin felt the fires that raged around him, burning anything and everything in their path. But he also watched as the Republic senate fought over what to do while worlds burned and races were destroyed. He watched as the Jedi followed the Republic blindly, not taking action to stop whatever was doing this.

The core pulsed, green tinted energy exploding outwards in a mist, swirling around him showing him races that he did not recognize, futures played before his eyes though all ending in death and destruction. When had the vision ended? How long had he been staring at nothing? When had his soul been shoved back into his body? But he knew it was not the same soul. That vision had changed him, showed him things one should never experience in their own life time. The green mist condensed around him, absorbed into his body, the Dark Side filling his entire being. But unlike those that had fallen because they craved more power, he knew no such lusts. He _knew_ there was no other way, he _knew_ that the Jedi, that the Republic was _weak_ as it was. And he _knew_ that something had to be done to ensure that what he had seen may never come to past. But the green mist did more then just fill him with Dark Side energies, it changed his appearance.

Where once he wore the standard Jedi robes, he now wore a new set of black robes. Chest armor covered his once brown shirt, which along with his gauntlets, pants and boots turned black. Attached to the chest armor was a type of skirt similar to the Mandalorian _kama, _covering the sides and back of his legs. A sash wrapped around his waist connecting at a ring forming an X-shape before looping and dropping to cover the front of his legs. A cape and hood completed the look, but when he went to drop the hood his hands brushed a metallic mask. Revan removed it and saw that the mask was red and black in color, but it also gave the distinct 'T' form that the Mandalorian helmets were known for, though much thicker in design. Revan replaced the mask and traveled back into the archives of the Academy.

There he spent days, weeks, or perhaps months learning the secrets that it contained. Absorbing the knowledge like a sponge to water, not a single holocron was left unread. He learned all of the teachings that the Sith before had learned and taught. He learned of other Sith academies on other planets, silently promising himself he would visit those worlds and learn as much as he could. But this... lust for knowledge did not stem from wanting more power, despite what the Jedi would very well believe when he revealed himself. It came from wanting to understand his enemy, wanting to know a means to prevent the return of these 'True Sith' that he was certain he had foreseen within the core.

But he also knew that he did not have the means of fulfilling his ambition to create a new Republic. There had to be something that could help him... something that could give him the supplies that he would need and the troops as well. The troops under his command now would easily be persuaded to swear loyalty to him... but that still left the problem of supplies. He searched the archives, until he came across an entry that said something about a massive space factory that an ancient race used. It was said that this race used this factory to help spread their empire across the galaxy. It also said that this race had some type of map, a starmap it was called, but their was no record telling where these starmaps were located. It was noted, however, that Dantooine was a possible location for one of the starmaps. Knowing that whatever this race used could help benefit him and his ambitions, he made plans to eventually find this starmap on the planet... and he already had an idea of where to start looking.

But he was getting ahead of himself, he still had the Mandalorians to deal with then he could worry about reforming the Republic and the Jedi. But that still left the question of why the Mandalorians wouldn't come to this planet. A planet that was nothing more then a barren waste land filled with cliffs and valleys and mindless beasts. But to the Mandalorian's eyes it wouldn't be a challenge, who thrived on battle and strong opponents. This wasn't the type of planet that they would want to conquer. But if he could give them a reason to come here, where his new found power was at its strongest... it was the perfect setting for the final battle of the war, the place where he would end the threat of the Mandalorians. With plans and strategies racing through his mind, one of which was to turn Malachor V itself into a weapon, he returned to his fleet,.

There he gave the task of building this machine to the best engineer they had, a Zabrak named Bao-Dur. This machine basically turned Malachor V's already strong gravitational pull into a weapon. Now all that was left was to decide who would be on the planet's surface when the finale fight commenced. He knew of only one person that could pull off what he had planned. He knew she would carry out his orders no matter what. There was only one Jedi general that he trusted could keep the Mandalorians on the surface fighting. And no matter how much he wanted to send someone else, he knew that she was the only one that could do it.

He stood looking out the view-port in his personal quarters, the hood down and mask on his desk. He knew what he was about to order would do, he knew the deaths it would bring and he knew the cost it would bring to either side... it didn't matter though, he would live with the consequences. He just hoped that when it was all over, she would be able to forgive him and join him. He prayed that their friendship was strong enough to endure what he was going to order her to do.

"You called for me, Revan?" a female voice said from behind him. Revan turned and there his childhood friend, Kaidra, stood, dressed in the standard robes of a Jedi.

"Yes I did," he said, tapping a few keys on his desk and bringing up the battle plan for the final confrontation. "I'll need you to personally be on the surface to protect the machine that Bao-Dur has built until it can be activated. But I'll also need you to keep the Mandalorian troops busy until I can kill Mandalore."

"Don't be stupid, Revan! You'll only get yourself killed facing Mandalore alone! He's not the strongest warrior and leader of the Mandalorians for nothing you know!" Kaidra shouted, her concern for her friend overpowering her common sense.

"Don't you think I know that! But there's no other way to bring this war to an end. If there was, I'd use it but there isn't. Even with my strategies it's only a matter of time before they overpower our forces and crush not only us but the entire Republic!" He shouted back, rare anger showing through his otherwise impassive nature.

"So you're risking everything on this one battle?"

Revan sighed and dropped into his chair, his right hand covering his face. Taking a few moments to calm himself and regain his composure, Revan replied, "We'll win this battle, I've made sure of it, I've considered every possible outcome."

Kaidra walked over to kneel next to Revan, taking his gloved hand in her own, "Revan, what happened to you? Ever since you came back from your scouting mission, you haven't been the same. I've barely seen you outside of this room." Here she lowered her head, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill forth, "We're friends, always have been and always will be. Don't you trust me enough?"

"I... can't. It's too soon to reveal everything. I... I... just promise me you'll be there on the planet's surface."

Kaidra stood, walking towards the door where she paused, "Very well, Revan. I'll be there," she said walking out of the room. Revan never took notice of the tears that streamed down her face.

The rest of the time Revan spent within his chambers, writing volumes of books about all that he had learned. It was his hope that, should he fail, future generations of Sith would take what he learned within the wall of the Trayus Academy and continue with his work. While the chances of that happening slim, he wasn't one to overestimate his own ability. He knew that whoever became his Sith apprentice would eventually gather enough courage and betray him, and if that were to happen he wished to leave behind what he had learned, adding his own beliefs as well.

When the time finally came to end the war, Revan stood on one of the many cliffs that littered the planet's surface. Revan had issued a challenge against Mandalore, a challenge of a fight to the death. He knew Mandalore wouldn't reject the challenge, the prospect of killing the commander of the Republic too great. Every thing was in place, the Mass Shadow Generator, as Bao-Dur called the machine he had built, was ready to be activated. The entire Mandalorian fleet surrounded Malachor V, although they were surrounded themselves by the Republic fleet.

When Mandalore appeared before him, Revan lured him away from the battle that was waging against their two forces and drew him towards the Trayus Academy. Deep within the core the two faced off, both with equal skill. Their duel waged on for many hours, until finally Revan drove his twin lightsabers through the Mandalore's throat and cut off his head. With his victory, Revan ordered the activation of the Mass Shadow Generator, the planet crumpling upon itself. But the strange thing was that it had not imploded, but Revan already knew this would happen. The Mandalorian ships that were stuck in orbit did implode, killing everyone.

When Revan returned to his flagship, he found Kaidra in her own quarters. She was rolled up in a ball crying, he had felt the disturbance the deaths of thousands had caused. He supposed she felt it greatest of them all, he only wished that he could relieve some of her pain. "I can't continue, Revan," she said to him. "This battle has changed me... I... I don't feel like myself any more. I'm returning to the Jedi High Council and accepting whatever punishment they deem fit." Hoping to comfort her Revan reached out through the force to her. But he felt nothing but a dark hole within Kaidra's soul, as if the force had completely left her. Perhaps when the Jedi High Council did the same, they would understand what their inaction caused.

His best friend, Alek, came running into his quarters. Demanding that Revan send out his personal assassin droid, HK-47, after Kaidra, though he refused. "Why?" Revan asked only to get no answer. He turned to his best friend, his cold dark eyes piercing into Alek's own eyes. And Revan saw into Alek's mind, seeing past memories of both Alek and Kaidra together in various situations. But he also saw one memory where Alek found out about a relationship between Jedi Master Kavar and Kaidra. When Alek confronted her about it she denied everything, and Alek being the stubborn man that he was didn't believe her despite the truth in her words. Kaidra had struck Alek across the cheek and fled, ever since the two had been cold to each other.

Revan took this time in his best friend's mind to show him all of the techniques that Revan had learned art the Trayus Academy. And like all other Jedi, Alek fell to the temptation of power that the Dark Side promised. Alek was filled with the growing lust for power, caring for no one that stood in his way. Alek had fallen to his knees when Revan returned to his own mind, and he walked up to his best friend and said, "Arise, Darth Malek, Sith Apprentice." Now all that was left was to make his ambitions a reality.

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The whole point of this story was to show that Revan didn't fall to the Dark Side. It was to show that he made that choice and willingly accepted the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith. Or atleast, that's what I think about it any way. I would also like to thank Kaidra Ordo for allowing me to use her RP character Kaidra. So I thank her once again and would like to say that I hope you enjoyed it and will see you next time and please review.


	2. Dantooine

Dantooine

It had been a simple matter, Revan mused, slipping onto Dantooine's surface without the Jedi Academy being alerted. He supposed that being the hero of the Republic, and savior of the galaxy was a bigger advantage then he originally thought it would be. However it was far riskier to get to the ruins which, he suspected, held this 'starmap' that he had read about in the Trayus Academy. He couldn't very well walk through the Jedi academy to get to the ruins, it wouldn't do to reveal to the council what he was planning. Knowing those old fools, they would demand he be put on trial for disobeying their orders.... that, or countless Jedi Padawans would bug him to teach them something, neither of which he felt like doing. Not that it really mattered, he did, after all, have the full backing of not only the Supreme Chancellor but the citizens of the Republic. Of course, they all thought he was chasing down the remnants of the Mandalorians that weren't killed at Malachor V.

But what really had Revan worried was Alek, who had been renamed Malek after being chosen as his Sith apprentice. Malek wasn't sure that this was the right path to take, regardless of how many times Revan explained it. But then Revan hadn't revealed everything that he had seen within the core of the Malachor. So he didn't expect Malek to understand the importance of this, but even so Revan worried what may happen should Malek decide to return to the Jedi order. Even if Malek didn't know what they were looking for, he still knew about Revan's plans of conquest. And should Malek betray him, Revan would have to send HK after his best friend to keep his secrets. It wasn't something that he wanted to do, but he knew that it was a possibility, not one to likely happen since he knew that his best friend would remain loyal no matter what path Revan traveled.

But that was of no concern to him. What was a concern was figuring out how to get to the ruins that concealed the starmap. If he passed too close to the Jedi Academy he'd either be seen or sensed through the force. Of course, there was no guarantee that he and Malek had not already been sensed even though they landed their shuttle on one of the many plains of Dantooine. So how to approach the ruins? The best way to get in unnoticed was to go on foot, but that could take days time which he didn't have. He didn't know how long it would take him to find what he was looking for. But the longer he remained on Dantooine, the more likely it was that a Jedi could find him and Malek. But something was... bugging him. There was something... familiar near the ruins; he would worry about that when it came time to. Mounting the swoop bike he kept around, Revan and Malek took off for the ruins. It took a few hours, but eventually they came to it. To anyone else it would have been another hill, save for the multiple pillars that marked the entrance.

Upon entering the ancient stone structure, they came face to face with a... droid of some kind; it looked more like a cone with insect type legs, a single tube like eye swiveling around. When the eye rested on them, it started to speak in some unknown language. Revan couldn't figure out what it was and that worried him, he knew every language of most the races in the Republic. He may not be able to speak all of them but he could understand what was being said to him, but this language caught him off guard. He had no idea where this could have originated.

"Revan, what is this droid speaking?" Malek asked.

"I... don't know. There's nothing like it in the Republic," Revan replied to his best friend.

Then droid in front of them started to go through a series of languages. When one of them was a language he _knew_ was that of the Sand People of Tatooine, he cursed himself for sending out HK-47 on an assassination mission, since the droid would have understood it. Eventually the droid spoke in something that Revan did understand, the dialect of the race that lived on the water planet of Manaan, the Selkath if Revan remembered correctly. Though the amphibious tone sounded out of place, the droid spoke, "There is no language of the slaves that I do not understand."

Finally they were getting somewhere, now to find out what Revan needed to know. "Who put you here?"

"I am an overseer that was placed here by the builders to oversee the slaves while this monument to the power of the Star Forge was being built." The builders? The Star Forge? What was this droid speaking about? Revan didn't know, but he voiced his questions, "It is the glory of the builders of the apex of their infinite empire. A tool of unstoppable conquest," the droid answered. Unstoppable conquest? That would help with his ambitions but it didn't answer _what_ it was or _where_ it was. So Revan repeated his questions only to be answered with the same answer. So, either that was all the droid was programmed to say or it couldn't reveal that information to anyone other then these 'builders' it kept talking about. "How long have you been here?" Perhaps if he could discover how long the builders' empire lasted, then he could have a guess of where to start looking for this Star Forge.

"Ten full revolutions of the system's outermost planet have passed since I was placed here."

Malek interrupted saying, "Ten full revolutions?! Revan, do know what that droid is implying?"

"It would mean that the complex is more then twenty-thousand years old, which means we can assume these 'builders' are far more ancient then anything I could have possibly imagined." Revan couldn't imagine the wealth of knowledge these 'builders' must have possessed. The prospect of learning their secrets, of controlling the galaxy for so long tempting was in and of itself. "Can you tell me how to find the Star Forge?"

The droid's head swiveled to look at the door behind him, "The starmap tells of where the Infinite Empire stretched. But first you must past two trials," here the droid's head turned to look at the door to the right then to the left, "Only then will you be able to see the starmap." The droid fell silent, having answered all of the questions.

Revan walked over to the left, opening the door and immediately blocking the blaster shots fired from another droid from within the room. His hand come up, lightning shooting forth overloading the droid's circuits and shutting it down. Revan walked past the deactivated droid and stood in front of a console. On the screen, there was nothing that he could understand, but he did notice a small port big enough to fit a datapad in. Taking one from his belt, Revan inserted it into the port but the screen only flashed a few times before the datapad was ejected. When he looked at the screen it read, "Identify the three Life-giving seed world types" followed by six choices of "Oceanic, Grassland, Desert, Volcanic, Arboreal, Barren". So what did that mean?

Giving the moment a once over in his mind, Revan answered with the "Oceanic, Grassland, and Arboreal" chooses. The screen flashed once saying, "Correct, breaking Life Seal." The second 'trial' wasn't any different, except the answer called for the other three chooses, 'desert, volcanic and barren' or the "Death-giving Planets". The door behind the droid opened up to reveal an empty room. Revan was about to curse in several different languages before he noticed the other door at the other end. He took a moment to pace in front of the door, briefly wondering if there was anything else the droid forgot to mention... but that didn't matter.

"The Dark Side is strong in this place," Malek said, "I can feel it's power." Turning to face Revan, Malek continued, "Is this wise? The ancient Jedi sealed this archway. If we pass beyond this door we can never go back. We will surely be banished."

So Malek still held some doubts about what they were doing, did he? But Malek was wrong about one thing, the ancient Jedi didn't seal the archway. If any of the Order had, then there would have been something within the archives, but there wasn't. Revan had read every entry within the archives and there had been no mention of these old ruins. So if it wasn't the ancient Jedi that had sealed the archway, then who was it? Revan could feel the small amount of Force energy keeping the doors shut, so whatever race had sealed these doors had been Force sensitive. Considering that the Dark Side was strong in this place, could that mean that the 'True Sith' had something to do with the Star Forge. But that couldn't be it either, within the archives of the Trayus Academy it had mentioned an ancient race, therefore Revan knew that if this 'Star Forge' was created by them, then the 'True Sith' would not have simply disappeared.

A small wave of his hand undid the Force seal and opened the door. Revan heard Malek follow him in saying, "Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable? Can it's power truly be worth the risk?" If Malek could only understand the threat Revan foresaw... but Malek could not. Malek could not understand that the Jedi would do nothing to help the Republic. But Revan also feared that the power would consume Malek, and then Malek would only care about his own power forgetting the reason why they set out to search for it to begin with. That was a risk Revan was not willing to take.

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She had felt it, she had felt that familiar Force presence. At first it was so faint that she wasn't sure, none of the other Jedi had sensed what she had. She knew it was him, and she knew it was dangerous to go and find where she had sensed him. But she had to, she had to see him and she had find out why he hadn't returned after the Mandalorians were defeated. Was he simply afraid of what the council would do to him? No, that wasn't like Revan, she knew him better then that.

What was he up to? She had to find out, she simply had to. She knew that Revan taken her with him to fight the Mandalorians, because she took the side of the Jedi High Council without a second thought. But wasn't that their duty? To follow the code and the High Council? Wasn't that what they had sworn to do when they joined the Order? Yet, what she had overheard Revan say when he had argued with the Jedi Council on Dantooine haunted her. She had been on her way to the archives to study when she had heard the shouting from within the Council Chambers. Curious, she listened even though she knew she shouldn't…

"_Are you just going to let the Republic fall?!" she instantly recognized Revan's voice._

"_We are protectors of peace and justice, we do not fight wars." That voice belonged to Jedi Master Vrook._

"_Then we should protect the Republic like we have sworn to do!" That was Revan again, she could almost hear his growing frustration._

"_The Mandalorians are not alone in their conquest, there is something far greater waiting in the shadows." That was Jedi Master Vandar. What had he meant when he said that there was something in the shadows? It was the first time she heard such a thing._

"_All the more reason to defeat the Mandalorians and draw out whoever is hiding!" she could not understand why Revan was so set upon defeating the Mandalorians, as Jedi Knights it was their duty to follow the council's wishes as well. "Why are we sitting here while whole worlds are being destroyed?! We swore to protect the Republic, and now that the time calls for us to uphold that oath, we do nothing!"_

"_Calm yourself, Knight Revan, do not let your emotions get the better of you." That was Master Zhar, one of the few that she knew had taught Revan when he was but a padawan. "The Jedi High Council on Coruscant have given their orders on the matter; there is nothing more we can do."_

_She could sense Revan's growing anger… or was that frustration? Yet she wondered how she could know that without reaching out through the force to him. Revan was helping her with some of her Jedi training so she supposed that she merely had a sense of his emotions because of all the time they spent together. Of course, none of the other Jedi Masters knew about that. She had a feeling the masters would do all they could to keep her from training under Revan. Why this was, she did not know for sure, yet she enjoyed the time she spent with Revan._

"_Very well, then I'll take this up with the High Council on Coruscant." She hurried to hide, mentally cursing herself for wearing her easily recognized skin tight cat-suit instead of the regular Jedi robes. She tried concealing herself in the shadows, but she knew it wouldn't work… she never could hide herself from Revan's gaze if he wanted to find her. She held her breath, praying that he didn't turn around as he stopped mere inches away from her. "What's the point?" he asked himself. "Why did we swear to protect the Republic and uphold the peace… if we don't do anything? Why is it that they are content with sitting in their rooms and doing _nothing_? Are we not bound to our oaths? Are we not bound to do what is right? How can the council sit there and do nothing after we all felt the deaths of those upon Serroco's surface?"_

_She knew not if he was talking to himself or if he knew she was there and was deliberately saying these things to get her to question all that had been taught to her. She knew it was like him, Revan himself had been taught to question everything and find the truth for one's self. It was something he did often during their private lessons. It wasn't something she took to heart, she believed the Jedi Masters were right and a Jedi's first duty was to follow their orders as well as the Jedi Code. It was a point she had tried to make to Revan on multiple occasions, yet he was steadfast in his beliefs as she was in hers._

"_There must be something that can be done." He continued to himself, "We simply can't ignore the Republic's plea for help. For if we did… we would be going against everything that has been taught to us." He paused here, lost in his own thoughts for several minutes, " Then there is only one thing left to do," Revan said finally, looking up at the ceiling, the dark brown hood sliding from his head, "If the High Council will not heed my advise, then I shall take matters into my own hands." His head turned, her breathe hitching in her throat as his piercing green eyes bore into her own sapphire ones, "For what else could you do… to uphold the honor of your oaths?" And with that Revan turned, pulling the hood over his head once more and walking away._

_She released the breath she had not known she was holding, sliding down the wall as her legs failed to hold her weight. So he had known she was there, he had been talking to her and not himself. If her breath wasn't so ragged then she would have laughed. She should have known better, she should have known Revan knew she was there, listening to him talking to the council. She tried to regain herself, yet his words still echoed in her head, repeating over and over again, even as she made it back to her room within the dormitories, collapsing onto her bed staring blankly upwards. Closing her eyes she tried to get her raging breathing under control, though all of the Jedi meditation techniques failed her here. Revan's piercing green eyes staring back at her, even as she squeezed her eyes shut trying to sleep, his words still echoing in her mind… why couldn't she calm herself?!_

She remembered that day well, throwing herself into her Jedi training, achieving the rank of a Jedi Knight during the Mandalorian Wars. Eventually she switched out her single-bladed lightsaber for a double-bladed lightsaber… though she kept the yellow core crystal. When Revan rebelled against the Council and called hundreds of Jedi to his side to aide the Republic, she had argued against them, trying to get them to obey the Council and their orders. Perhaps she didn't care about the orders, perhaps she didn't care that he was rebelling, perhaps she wasn't just worried about what could happen to him, but her mind screamed at her to join them… join _him_. She knew she cared about him, she knew she shouldn't and it was against the Jedi Code and she knew it could lead her to the Dark Side of the Force. But she didn't care about that!

She found herself unable to be clam during meditation, unable to focus on her training without the thought of him entering her mind. Many nights during the war she would stare up at nothing, plagued by nightmares of his death. It frustrated her, whether at herself for not being able to remember her Jedi training or being unable to do anything about it, she knew not. So great was her frustration that she was unable to control her emotions and her Masters continually berated her for it. She had always tried to control her emotions and remember the Jedi Code, yet it failed her each time.

Was that why she came out here? Not to find out his reasons, but to make sure he was fine? Or just to see him again? Yes, it was. She wouldn't admit it to anyone or out loud, but she did care about him. She wanted to believe that she didn't, she wanted to believe that she didn't have these strange feelings in her heart whenever she thought about him. She wanted to believe that she was the perfect Jedi. She wanted to believe that she followed the Code obediently. Through all of this, a deeper part of her wondered briefly how long she was going to fool herself.

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Revan was surprised to see her waiting outside the ruins when he and Malek exited. He should have known that she would be able to sense where he had gone. Yet now that she was in front of him, he couldn't help but let his eyes roam over her form. He had never let the Jedi's beliefs about attachment and emotional control rule his actions. This allowed him to see the young _woman_ standing in front of him, the tan skin tight cat-suit hugging her more matured curves, brown hair held within two short ponytails, a double-bladed lightsaber hanging from her belt, the twin colored sapphire eyes that he _knew_ were staring into his own behind the mask he wore.

The sound of a lightsaber activating had his hand flying out to the side, Malek's red colored blade shooting into his hand and deactivating. Revan threw his apprentice's lightsaber over his shoulder, "Return to the ship and prepare it for launch." Before Malek had the chance to object, Revan turned his head slightly, glaring at his apprentice from behind his mask. Malek wasted no time in getting to his speeder bike and leaving.

"I knew you'd be here, Revan," she said, her eyes boring into his own, "Tell me why you haven't returned to the Order now that the war is over?" Revan could swear he felt the hurt and the pain in her voice. He could swear that he could see the worry in her eyes. He could feel his own heart ache, which surprised him since he didn't think he had a heart left. He wanted to reach out to her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and take her with him. But he knew that he couldn't. He knew that the road he traveled he could only walk alone. He had sacrificed everything to save the galaxy, yet that was not really why he was doing it.

He was doing this for her. He was doing it to protect her first and the galaxy second. Within the core of Malachor he had seen her death a thousand times over. It plagued his dreams and kept him awake at night. But what hurt more was knowing that it was because of him that she died. It was knowing that following him had caused her death. For this reason, he could not have her join him despite his desire to have her by his side. This was why he did not answer her… why he was cold to her. In the end, he could only hope that she would understand that. In the end, he could only pray that she didn't hate him.

He turned to leave, walking back towards his speeder bike. Did he notice the single tear roll down his face? Did he notice her falling to her knees, tears running down her own face? Did he notice the pain within both of their hearts increase with every step he took? Perhaps he did and perhaps he didn't. One thought repeated itself, over and over again in his mind as he rode away on his bike. One thought that he unconsciously sent through the Force and into her mind…

"_Forgive me… Bastila."_

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I had originally thought that this was only going to be a oneshot, but after giving it some more thought I decided to continue it. How many more chapters after this I'm not really sure, maybe one... maybe two, we'll have to see how it all works out. Either way, please review and tell me what you thought about it.


	3. Fading Memories

Fading Memories

He had done it, he had found the Star Forge and he had waged war against the Republic… against the Jedi. The ambition to save the galaxy from what he had foreseen had been within his grasp. His fleet was positioned to strike at the heart of the galaxy. All that there was to do was beat back the Republic's latest attempt to capture either him or Malek. Not that it would succeed; these things never could against his military might. These 'ambushes' only work if you catch your enemy off guard; there was no catching him off guard. And yet, he had made one fatal miscalculation, one that happened sooner than he had anticipated it would. Yet looking back it should have been painfully obvious.

He had been standing on the bridge of his flagship, looking out the view port and observing the battle waging out in space, when a Jedi strike team had barged onto the bridge. He turned, his twin lightsabers snapping into his hands and coming to life, lighting the bridge in their eerie red glow. His eyes widened behind his mask as he took in Bastila's form, with her skin tight cat-suit, but more importantly… her double-bladed yellow lightsaber held at the ready. He could see the determination in her eyes to capture him alive. Yet there was something far deeper within her that he could see. It was buried beneath layers and layers of emotional barriers and it tore his heart apart. He could _see_ the hatred deep within her eyes. He could _see_ the anguish within her eyes. He could see so _many_ emotions within her. It tore his heart knowing that it was his rejection upon the plains of Dantooine that was the cause of her suffering. Yet what choice did he have?

Could he indulge his own desire by taking her with him when he knew it would lead to her death? Was he so selfish as to risk her safety all for his desires? No, he wasn't and he couldn't. He cared more for her safety then his own personal feelings. Yet now that she stood before him, ready to capture him, could he turn his twin lightsabers on her and defend himself? Could he risk hurting her in self-defense? He didn't want to, yet there was little else he could do. He didn't want her by his side in fear of her death, yet now that she was here in front of him… he'd have her by his side. There was too much that was left to do and he couldn't be captured, nor could he die just yet. Perhaps having her by his side as the Dark Lady of the Sith could help her forgive him and understand why he did what he did. Not that he expected her to immediately forgive him, he knew that would take time, and he was willing to wait.

But he could not think about that yet, first he had to make sure that she lived. However the other Jedi had to die; it wouldn't do to capture all of them alive there was too much risk of their escape. Besides, he didn't care about the other Jedi, they meant very little to him. A small twirl of his lightsabers, a small shift of his foot and he was standing in a defensive stance, waiting for the other Jedi to make a move. That's when he felt it, the smallest disturbance in the Force that indicated an attack. Yet it did not come from the Jedi before him. No, his flagship had been fired upon by his own apprentice's flagship. He should have expected Malek to betray him… in fact he did, but he had not calculated that it would be so soon.

Two things happened at once; one threw the other Jedi to the floor and the other sent Bastila flying into his arms. Pain ripped through his body as metal shards of a computer console buried themselves in his back. The bridge was spinning as they fell to the ground; Revan still acting on instinct as he used his body as a shield to protect Bastila. He didn't know how long the bombardment on his ship lasted, or if it had even stopped for that matter. Was time even a concern any more? All he was thinking as everything spiraled into darkness… was the hope that Bastila was safe and that she was alive.

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She couldn't believe it. She simply could not believe it. The man that she had come to hate, the man that she convinced herself she hated… the man that was by all rights her enemy… the man that the Jedi Council had ordered to be captured alive if possible… saved her life. She couldn't believe it. There was no reason for him to do such a thing. Or was it that simply couldn't admit that she knew why he had done it. She didn't have time to think about that, the ship was likely to explode and she didn't want to be on it when it did. She pushed off the man that had saved her life, briefly thinking about leaving him to die on the ship.

Somehow the mask that he wore had slipped off, exposing his flawless face. She half expected it to be deformed like some of the other Sith she had seen. Yet there was nothing there, his face was as it was the when last she saw it. He looked so… peaceful, that she swore that he was unharmed and merely unconscious. Then she noticed the pool of blood gathering around his body and knew he would die soon if nothing was done. She knew her orders where to capture him alive, and as cruel as it was the thought of leaving him here on the ship was tempting. _He _had been the one to turn his back to her. _He _had been the one that left her. _He _had been the one to cause her such pain. But seeing him so… vulnerable, brought back so _many_ memories that she thought she had buried deep within her mind.

Memories of the two of them together when they had snuck away from the Academy to train. Memories of the two of them staring up at the cloudless skies of Dantooine. She had stared into his face one time when he was _meditating_, she just _happened_ to be leaning against his firm chest and she saw the look of utter peacefulness. This was rare as she always saw him annoyed at one thing or another. Yet there were other times when they _were_ training, the proud look in his eyes and the slight smile to his lips that would appear whenever she had accomplished something. The feelings that welled up in her chest as he praised her hard work.

It was these memories that caused her to remove the metal pieces in his back. It was these memories which caused her to draw on the Force and heal his wounds. And when the Force no longer answered her call as easily, she drew on her own life force to help heal him. She found that small flicker of flame that represented his life and surrounded it with her own, nurturing it and giving it warmth like a mother to her child. Her breathing was ragged and she found it hard to make it to an escape pod as she continued to use her life force to keep him alive. But she was determined. She wouldn't lose him… she couldn't lose him. Not only because the Jedi Council order her to capture him. No… she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. As her Jedi masters told her… love will only lead you to the Dark Side.

She vaguely noticed that she made it to the escape pod… she was even more vaguely aware that it had launched and she idly noticed her prayer that one of the Republic ships found them… Force only knew what would become of her if the Sith captured her. Yet another deeper and darker part of her knew that Revan, vulnerable as he was, would be the first killed. She briefly wondered why she cared so much about him… only to cringe in pain as long forgotten emotions welled up inside of her heart.

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She had begged them not to do it. She had pleaded and pleaded with them but they would not listen. Why? Why did his memories have to be replaced? Why did they see that as the only means of winning the war against Malek and the Sith? Wasn't there anything else that they could do? She tried to convince herself that the Jedi Council was right. She tried to tell herself that she should follow their orders and their wishes. She tried to tell her heart that the man she knew… the man she had _fallen in love with_, was dead. She told herself that she stopped loving him when he abandoned her on the plains of Dantooine. She told herself that she didn't care what the Jedi Council did to him. So why had she argued with them?!

How could she still care for him after what he had done to her?! It was his rejection that had iced her heart. It was his action _that_ day that caused her to throw herself into her Jedi training. It was his discarding that caused her to believe the man she loved was no more. It was the feeling of a lightsaber had been stabbing her chest, that caused her to cry into her pillow at night. She didn't care for him! So then why had she argued for him?! Why had she tried to convince the masters to spare him?! Why did she care when she convinced herself she didn't?! It couldn't be just because they were Jedi and Jedi didn't kill their prisoners. But were they really killing him? Did locking his memories deep within his damaged mind and replacing them with false ones mean they were killing who he was?!

But wasn't it safer this way? Could they risk the chance of Revan turning on them again if they retuned him to full heath? She knew Revan enough to know that he wouldn't join them unless he saw a way to profit from it. Or was it the simple fact that if Revan's memories were erased, then she would never find out what made him turn to the Dark Side. She had to know what it was. She knew it was selfish and she knew it went against her Jedi beliefs but she had to know. She had to know why he abandoned her. And now… now she feared that she would never find out. She could see the memories that the Council were placing inside Revan's head. She didn't know how she could see them… all she knew was that she could. And it felt like a blade was being driven into her heart.

But the false memories weren't the only things that she could see. She also saw all the memories that the Council were locking deep within Revan's mind. She could see all of the times that she had spent with him and Alek and Kaidra. She could _feel _his emotions throughout those memories. She could _feel_ all of his feelings for her… she could _feel_ the longing to be by her side. She could feel his deep concern for her safety. And she knew… she _knew_ what he had felt when he left her on the plains of Dantooine. She could _feel_ the lone tear fall down his face as if it was her own. Or… was she crying now? Were those tears falling down her face as she buried her head within her pillow? Were all of her emotions spilling forth? Was her heart splitting in two as each of those memories were locked away from his mind?

She tried, desperately, to block out her emotion… to ignore what it was that she was feeling… to remember what she learned in her Jedi studies. But nothing worked. No barrier she created could keep her emotions in check and none could block out the memories that she was seeing. She didn't know how long it was until it stopped and even then she continued to cry. Tears still spilled forth even when she knew that the Jedi Council was done. She didn't answer when a messenger came to inform her that the Council wanted to see her. She knew what it was that they wanted. She knew that they would want her to watch over the 'new' Revan and it sickened her to her core.

Deep in her heart she found herself hating the Jedi Council and what they had done to Revan. She hated the fact that they were willing to erase everything that he was in order to defeat Malek. Didn't that make them just as bad as the Sith? Didn't this go against everything that the Jedi believed in? Or did the Council truly believe that this was the only way that they could stop Malek and save the Republic? But… there had to be another way. There had to be something else that they could do. She didn't know what it was but she did know that using Revan like this was wrong. She knew that the Council lied to her. She knew that Revan wasn't beyond saving. She knew that Revan hadn't 'fallen' to the Dark Side. Yet at the same time she wanted to believe them. She wanted to believe that her training was right and that it was her duty to serve the Council.

It was this thought that brought her Jedi training to the forefront. It was this that caused her to stop questioning herself and the orders of the Jedi Council. It was the lesson that emotions cloud your mind and will only lead you to the Dark Side that ended her bitterness. It was the promise she made to herself to be the best Jedi that she could be, that stopped any more feelings from overwhelming her. But she knew it hadn't been stopped… she could still feel it, slowly eating at her heart. She could feel her barriers slowly being torn down. But she reinforced those barriers and forced her emotions down down. She forced them down until there was no feeling at all. Her tears stopped and her mind cleared as she picked herself off her bed.

She found him in the med-bay, no longer in the dark Sith Robes that he had worn. Now he was wearing black Mandalorian battle armor, the helmet resting beside him on the bed. Even as she stared into his eyes, she saw brief flashes of when those very same eyes were filled with nothing but pride. She could almost feel his arms around her shoulders as images of the two of them together under the starry sky of Dantooine. She could almost taste his lips upon hers as she remembered the one and only time they had kissed and her heart nearly twisted in pain. Only one thought kept her from falling to her knees and crying once more.

"_This wasn't Revan."_ It echoed inside her brain and even then it didn't seem to help. It didn't help to get her emotions under control. It only felt like another blade had been driven into her heart. It only felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Only one other thought echoed through her mind… _"This isn't the man that I fell in love with… anymore."_

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_Well, that's where I'll end this chapter. I konw, been awhile since I've worked on it, but I was working on other things. Any way, my original plan was to go between Revan's and Bastila's point of view, to show what it might have been liked to have one's memories replaced... didn't work out. Instead I went with showing Bastila's struggle with her emotions with those of the Jedi belief, which I think I pulled off.

I think there's going to be one more chapter. When that chapter is going to be set... I have no idea so we'll see how that works out. Well, please review and tell me what you think.


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